Wireless networks may provide packet-based services to wireless communication devices (WCDs). For example, a radio access network (RAN) may define one or more wireless coverage areas through which the WCDs may obtain wireless communication services from the RAN. A particular WCD may communicate with the RAN via one or more of the RAN's base stations. In order to make this communication more efficient, for example, the RAN may derive one or more subpackets from a full packet to be transmitted to a WCD. The RAN may transmit at least one of these subpackets to the particular WCD. The particular WCD may transmit an acknowledgment (positive or negative) in response to each subpacket that it receives.